According to the website of the Eurasian Times on April 25, 2022, last week, China and Russia conducted powerful missile launch tests respectively to demonstrate their strong military strength, which can be interpreted as a warning signal to Western countries led by the United States, NATO and its regional allies.
article said that Russia's latest "Sarmat" heavy intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from a test silo in Pleeksk, western Russia. According to Russian media reports, the missile flew about 6,000 kilometers and then hit a target on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Shortly after its successful launch, Russian President Putin said in a televised speech that the RS-28 "Salmat" intercontinental ballistic missile has no opponent in the world and will make the opponent "think twice before threatening Russia." RS-28 "Salmat" intercontinental ballistic missile NATO is nicknamed "Satan-2" type intercontinental missile. In 2018, Russia announced that the missile was one of six "super weapons" it developed. These include the Avangard hypersonic missile, the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater unmanned submarine (UUV), the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Kinzha air-launched hypersonic missile and the Zircon carrier-based hypersonic missile.
[Russia tests the RS-28 "Sarmat" intercontinental ballistic missile]
The article introduces that the "Sarmat" intercontinental ballistic missile has been developed for many years and aims to replace the S-18 missile in the Soviet era. These intercontinental ballistic missiles have multiple warheads and are designed to fly across the world and attack enemy strategic targets. The range of the "Salmat" missile is estimated to reach 35,000 kilometers, which can avoid the radar and missile defense system . At the same time, due to its unpredictable flight orbit, it can effectively destroy various strategic goals. The "Salmat" intercontinental ballistic missile has a payload of 10 tons and can carry up to 15 nuclear warheads . In addition, due to the short burning period of the initial stage of the launch of the Salmat intercontinental ballistic missile, it is difficult for the United States' infrared early warning satellite network to detect it, thereby improving the ability of missiles to raid the enemy and reducing the enemy's counterattack time.
article pointed out that in response to Russia's "Sarmat" intercontinental ballistic missile test, the United States dispatched two RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft near Russia's east coast for reconnaissance, which may be to collect as much data as possible from Russia's tests. It is reported that the United States has deployed two RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft at different altitudes to better observe the return of the Salmatt intercontinental missile into the atmosphere or test confidential technology.
[Avangard hypersonic missile can fly at a speed of Mach 20]
In addition, the article also mentioned that just the day before Russia launched the Salmat intercontinental missile, the Chinese Navy launched a new hypersonic missile from a Type 055 destroyer. The missile is called the Eagle Strike-21 hypersonic missile by the media. It is a carrier-based type of China's series of "aircraft carrier killer" missiles. It flies extremely fast and its flight trajectory is unpredictable.
According to Naval expert H.I. Sutton, the Eagle Strike-21 looks similar to the CM-401, adding a large booster. The CM-401 missile is roughly similar to the Russian "Iskander" missile , with a diameter of about 600 mm. The Eagle Strike-21 hypersonic missile may make China's Type 055 destroyer one of the most powerful warships in the world. The 346B active phased array radar it carries is comparable to the AN/SPY-6 radar installed on the American "Arley Burke"-class Flight III destroyer.
[The rumored Chinese Navy Type 055 destroyer test-fires Eagle Strike-21 hypersonic missile]
The article said that the Eagle Strike-21 hypersonic missile has a range of up to 1,500 kilometers, and the warhead it carries can directly penetrate the flight deck of the aircraft carrier and quickly eliminate it. H.I. Sutton said that the Eagle Strike-21 hypersonic anti-ship missile has similarities with the CM-401 developed by China. The Type 055 destroyer has 112 vertical launch units (VLS) and can carry a large number of hypersonic missiles.The missile uses the "jump gliding ballistic" flight mode, which means it flies almost vertically upwards during the initial stages of the flight, and then passes through the atmosphere once or more like a water drift when returning to the atmosphere, converting its downward momentum into horizontal motion.
To be sure, both China and Russia seem to be warning US-led NATO that they both have weapons of destruction and that any intervention in the ongoing Ukrainian conflict or future conflicts against the Taiwan Strait will have serious consequences. Seeing that China and Russia's hypersonic anti-ship missiles were unveiled one after another, the US Navy finally couldn't sit still. According to the Eurasian Times on April 26, 2022, the U.S. Navy recently stated that they need to obtain an air-launched hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile by 2028. The project is named "Hypersonic air-launched offensive anti-surface target missile" (HALO). "HALO will address the high-level threats posed by warfare distances, allowing the Navy to fight in coastal waters and anti-access/area rejection (A2/AD) environments and control the controversial combat space," a budget document read. The U.S. Navy's increased focus on its hypersonic project stems from similar capabilities that China and Russia have. Previously, the US Air Force conducted three consecutive hypersonic tests, all of which ended in failure. China and Russia have made their debuts, while the United States' hypersonic missiles are still on the way!
